Anarchists in Minneapolis Escalate Anti-Surveillance Campaign with Flock Camera Destruction

Executive Summary

Anarchist groups in Minneapolis have begun systematically dismantling Flock Safety surveillance cameras, part of a broader, decentralized anti-surveillance campaign spreading across the U.S. and Canada. The actions—framed as both protest and sabotage—reflect the growing militancy of anarchist and abolitionist networks opposed to AI-assisted policing and data-driven surveillance.

Key Judgments

1. The Minneapolis incidents mark the physical manifestation of a nationwide anarchist anti-surveillance campaign already visible under banners like “Camover 2025” and “Capture the Flock.”

Evidence: Activists claim to have “pulled down” multiple Flock cameras since May 2025, echoing similar operations in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Montreal linked to the Camover 2025 network and the July “Capture the Flock” sabotage campaign.

2. The campaign combines ideological critique with direct action tactics designed to disrupt law enforcement and private surveillance ecosystems.

Evidence: The Minneapolis communiqué explicitly describes the tools and procedures used to dismantle the devices, framing the acts as both educational and motivational for others to replicate locally.

3. The persistence and technical literacy of participants suggest that these incidents are not isolated vandalism but part of a maturing, decentralized sabotage network.

Evidence: References to using Tor, Tails OS, and specialized tools, along with the sharing of tactical zines and digital guides, show operational sophistication and adherence to counter-intelligence practices developed in anarchist circles since 2020.

Analysis

The destruction of Flock Safety cameras in Minneapolis signals a new phase in the evolution of North American anarchist activism—where ideological opposition to surveillance increasingly translates into coordinated acts of infrastructure sabotage. While Flock Safety markets its AI-enabled license plate readers as crime-prevention tools, activist networks portray them as instruments of racialized policing, gentrification, and authoritarian control.

The Minneapolis communiqué fits a pattern of decentralized propaganda distribution through “counterinfo” platforms like Unravel and Noblogs, where participants post communiqués to document successful attacks and encourage replication. The tone—mocking, instructive, and militant—seeks to normalize property destruction as a legitimate political act.

This trend mirrors the 2013 “Camover” campaign in Europe, where anti-surveillance activists treated camera destruction as a game-like competition. Today’s iteration, “Camover 2025,” blends that aesthetic with abolitionist, environmental, and anti-tech ideologies. The convergence of movements—anti-police, anti-capitalist, and eco-radical—provides shared ideological justification for infrastructure sabotage, expanding both the pool of participants and the operational knowledge base.

Operationally, the Minneapolis post reflects solid planning and risk mitigation: emphasis on route reconnaissance, use of Tor for anonymity, and referencing secure digital toolkits. Such sophistication suggests cross-pollination with digital security and environmental direct-action movements. The diffusion of this skill set complicates law enforcement response, as attacks require minimal coordination but produce disproportionate operational disruption.

If left unchecked, the campaign could spread to other urban centers where Flock Safety or similar vendors operate. The blending of physical and informational tactics—such as mapping surveillance infrastructure and circulating sabotage manuals—creates a low-cost, high-impact model for anti-surveillance activism that could strain municipal budgets, delay investigations, and prompt wider security hardening across cities.

Sources

• Unravel – Taking Down Flock Cameras in Minneapolis

• Semper Incolumem – Radical Activists Call for Coordinated Sabotage Campaign Against Flock Surveillance Infrastructure

• Semper Incolumem – Camover 2025: Coordinated Anti-Surveillance Vandalism Campaign Spreads Across U.S. Cities